


When Morning Comes

by lumierehun



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Character Death, M/M, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 14:48:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15753885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lumierehun/pseuds/lumierehun
Summary: And as Sehun laid his eyes on that pretty little face with doe eyes rimmed red from excessive crying, he knew his entire life was about to change.(Good, good! Let the hunting begin!)





	When Morning Comes

**Author's Note:**

> I've been browsing through prompts I've accumulated in my laptop from the past years and this has caught my attention. I'm slowly working through the other prompts, trying to see what else I could work on but for now here is a story loosely based and inspired by the movie The Purge. Hope you enjoy reading and drop me some comments or send me some love at my twitter @lumierehun. Talk to me and tell me your thoughts! <3 ps. this hasn't been proofread so sorry for the mistakes in grammar or spelling ack

 

 

 

 

> _“This is not a test. This is your emergency broadcast system, announcing the commencement of the annual purge sanctioned by the government. Weapons of class 4 and lower have been authorized for use during the purge. All other weapons are restricted. Government officials of ranking ten have been granted immunity. Commencing at the siren any and all crime, including murder, will be legal for 12 continuous hours. Police, fire, and emergency medical services will be unavailable until tomorrow morning at seven am when the purge concludes. Blessed be our new founding fathers and Korea a nation reborn. May God be with you all.”_

 

**FINAL CHAPTER:**

 

“Yes mother, all is set.” the soft but firm voice of Miyoung echoes in the Oh’s dining room as they take their breakfast that morning. The gentle clanking of spoons and forks against the expensive chinaware is a sound that the family of four had become accustomed to hearing whenever they dine together. But unlike any other breakfast, that day’s meal was a bit more special and extravagant definitely preluding to the important holiday that the Oh’s and the most of Korea celebrated on the 18th of April every year.

 

“Thank you Miyoung.” Mrs. Oh says her bright mood obvious in the way she allows a small smile to paint her usually blank features. As she chews on her food, she moves her right hand and places it atop her husband’s own. “I can’t wait to see what you and Miyoung have in store for us my dear.”

 

Mr. Oh chuckles, eyes turning into curved slits like the moon, “Sehun and you did a fantastic job last year so I believe Miyoung and I better step our game up. I promise you everything will be wonderful tonight.” At the mention of his name, Sehun looks up from his plate of pancakes and fruits to stare at his parents who look mutually thrilled while smiling at each other. He fondly stares at them both, knowing just how much they looked forward to this holiday since it is the only time they are really able to release all pent up frustration and stress from handling a multimillion conglomerate.

 

He sends a smile towards them and Miyoung’s face relaxes as well. She then lifts her glass of juice, urging the others to toast for the upcoming festivity, “Cheers to the purge.”

 

“A toast to our new founding fathers.” Sehun and his parents reply with much enthusiasm, earnestly looking forward to how this day will unfold.

 

\---------------------

 

When Sehun comes back from university that day, he parks his Bentley Bentayga in their garage and enters their house to see their living room already emptied from its usual furniture and covered in clear plastic from top to bottom. He feels the familiar spike of excitement run through his veins at the thought of what was about to happen in an hour or two and he rushes immediately towards his bedroom to change and prepare.

 

Set on his bed was an all black ensemble – a pair of fitted slacks that runs up to his ankles and a dress shirt that he tucks into his pants after closing everything but the last two buttons of his top. Standing in front of his whole body mirror, Sehun folds the long sleeves of his dress shirt up to his elbows before he runs his fingers through his fading blonde locks which had grown past below his neck. He then takes the hair tie he always keeps on his wrist to pull his hair into a simple bun just so it wouldn’t get into his eyes later.

 

Once he is done working with his clothes and fixing his hair, he moves towards his walk-in closet to grab himself a pair of brown leather shoes and a silver wrist watch to complete his outfit. He checks the time on his watch and smiles when he hears music being played from below his room as if signaling the start of the day’s main event. Taking one last look at his overall appearance in the mirror, Sehun sprays perfume as a last touch before allowing his body to be lead back into the living room by the comforting melody of Chopin’s Nocturne Op9 –a classic his mother loves to play annually during this holiday.

 

He arrives at the edge of the stairs and sees his family waiting for him with smiles on their faces.

 

_It is time._

_\--------------------_

 

“Father where are they taking us?” Luhan worriedly watches the small figure of his younger brother ask as the boy fearfully curves towards the sturdier form of their father. Still dressed in his sweatpants and hoodie, Luhan could not get his head to wrap around their current situation. They have been mostly keeping to themselves that day knowing full well what being out late signified. And Luhan had it all planned in his head already. After helping make sure every inch of their small house was properly locked as they enjoyed their simple dinner, he was going to help Jungwoo with his projects then do his requirements for university. However it seems as if fate had other plans for them for the doe eyed boy clearly remembers what transpired earlier, a group of armed men forcefully entering their home before they could even start eating dinner and taking them without consent into a huge van while Luhan and his father fought and screamed profanities towards their captors.

 

Grabbing his brother’s hand, Luhan tries to comfort the trembling child “We’re going to a nice place Jungwoo don’t worry, okay? We’re going to be alright.” Although the younger boy is obviously scared, he fortunately places his trust on his older brother’s words and moves toward him instead to snuggle. Luhan finds comfort in the warmth the child exudes but he could not stop the helpless look he sends both his parents who look as equally confused and worried as him.

 

Being trapped in an unknown vehicle at this time of the year only meant one thing and Luhan knew that regardless of his wishful thinking, they were bound to land in a place he never would dream of going. The whole car ride remains silent and Luhan’s mom reaches out to touch his hand, dread evident in the way she tightens her grip on him as if she was accepting this was about to be their unfortunate end.

 

Luhan shakes his head at her, trying to assure his mother it would be fine just as the car stops and they are forcefully pulled out once again only to be led inside a huge mansion. Once he sees the huge structure looming in front of them like a final sentence that is when the panic finally starts to really settle within the pit of Luhan’s stomach. He turns towards his younger brother whose eyes have grown wide and terrified, small hands wrapping tighter around Luhan’s wrist as the armed men flank them side by side and towards grandiose place.

 

If it were another day than this, Luhan would have marveled at the beauty and the huge scale of the manor that they were about to enter. However considering the situation they were in, the blonde hair male feels nothing but the intense urge to run and take his family far, far away from this forsaken place. He watches helplessly as the armed men pushes open a set of expensive looking mahogany doors and they enter a wide living room void of any furniture except the clear plastic that covers the empty space from top to bottom.

 

Immediately, his father’s scream echoes throughout the place as they twist his arm before pushing the man onto his knees followed by his mother, then Luhan and Jungwoo. The family of four gets their wrists and feet tied together by the men to make sure they would not be able to escape before they are left all by themselves. Luhan instantly turns toward his father who looks ultimately defeated and lost –then it dawns on him what has happened, what was happening.

 

“Baba,” the doe eyed male’s voice is shaky when he speaks, “baba did you sell us?” He hears his mother gasp at his question while Jungwoo just curiously stares at him. Luhan counts the seconds that pass with a heavy heart, silently praying to the heavens that his father would answer him with a no.

 

His heart drops when his father sighs, shaking his head, “I can’t. I can’t do that to you Luhan. I didn’t sell you guys, I sold myself because I wanted to secure your future together with Jungwoo and your mother. I thought it was all done,” Luhan’s father looks at him in distressed, “we had a contract. It was only supposed to be me.”

 

“Oh father,” tears begin to form in Luhan’s eyes just as his mother starts to weep. Jungwoo having no idea with what was happening, simply stares at his family with sad eyes unable to bring comfort and cheer like he usually does. However the family is not left alone for too long as four well dressed people enter the room. When Luhan lifts his head to stare at them, his eyes immediately focus on the sharp objects each individual has in their hand.

 

That is when Luhan’s father begins struggling, screaming profanities towards the group of four whose faces remain impassive despite the amount of insults thrown towards them. “Leave my family alone Mr. Oh! It was only me! Our contract says it’s only supposed to be me!”

 

“Dear this is terrific,” Luhan hears the older of the two women speak, glee obvious in her voice. “It’s always the feisty ones that are fun to kill. I can’t wait for the announcement to come through.”

 

“Just a few more minutes mother.” The younger woman finally talks and Luhan shivers at the unmasked excitement in her tone. “Let us say our prayers first for the successful commencement of this purge.”

 

And like a routine, the Oh’s form a circle around Luhan’s family and begins chanting a solemn prayer led by the tallest man in the group. Shaking in fear, Luhan’s eyes find its way towards the man opposite him, standing straight with all the grace in the world, eyes closed and voice deeps as he prays with his family.

 

Luhan’s daze is broken when he feels that his father is still struggling, doing his best to unclasp his wrist from the ropes that bind it together. “Baba we’re going to die,” Luhan voice trembles with so much fear that he no longer is able to stop the tears that falls from his eyes. He stares at the head of their family, the man that was supposed to protect them and keep them safe but somehow had brought them into this predicament.

 

“Stretch your arms to me,” Luhan’s father whispers hurriedly in panic, “Faster, I’ll untie you while they pray.” Luhan hastily follows his father’s instructions, trying his best to extend his arms towards the older man and fortunately the latter is able to reach it. Although blindly grasping at first, the adrenaline from being scared seems to help Luhan’s father and in a matter of seconds, Luhan wrist is released. “Untie Jungwoo, faster!” his father orders him just as the announcement of the purge blares throughout the mansion.

 

 

 

> _“This is not a test. This is your emergency broadcast system, announcing the commencement of the annual purge sanctioned by the government. Weapons of class 4 and lower have been authorized for use during the purge. All other weapons are restricted. Government officials of ranking ten have been granted immunity. Commencing at the siren any and all crime, including murder, will be legal for 12 continuous hours. Police, fire, and emergency medical services will be unavailable until tomorrow morning at seven am when the purge concludes. Blessed be our new founding fathers and Korea a nation reborn. May God be with you all.”_

Panic surges throughout Luhan’s body and he begins to tear up as he moves towards Jungwoo, gathering the younger boy’s wrist in his hand and urgently untying the rope surrounding it. “Almost done, almost.” Anxiety and fear reigns in Luhan’s head as he releases both him and Jungwoo just in time with the broadcast system ending its announcement. He quickly moves towards his mother but the woman shakes her head at him, “run!” she angrily says and as Luhan tries to stand up he sees the eyes of the tallest male open.

 

Grey eyes stare back at Luhan’s golden speckled orbs and the smaller male sobs in defeat. However, unbeknownst to Luhan there is a shift in the atmosphere when the tall male eyes meets with him. Because as Sehun laid his eyes on that pretty little face with doe eyes rimmed red from excessive crying, he knew his entire life was about to change.

 

\------------------

“Happy purging!” Mr. Oh’s voice booms through the empty living room and a spark of uncertainty goes through Sehun. Never in his life did he imagine himself hesitating and losing the initial excitement thrumming through his veins for the purge. Since he had reached the legal age to purge, he would always look forward to this time of the year with much enthusiasm especially because they took turns and changed pairs in the family in order to prepare for this holiday.

 

Sehun believes the purge had brought many good things onto their nation. It was the perfect outlet for everyone and it served well in its purpose to cleanse the people of their evil thoughts and urges. Supporting that thought were the facts that crime rates began to decrease ever since the purge was passed into law, the economy also steadily rose, and individuals were less likely to be hostile with each other considering they were too afraid to become targets of the yearly purge. Just as his father had told him and his sister when they were young, the purge was for a good cause and it was for the betterment of the people and Sehun truly believed in that.

 

But how come at this moment, as he stares at the frantic gaze of the brown haired male opposite him, he feels a twinge in his heart he thought he would never feel for anyone much less a sacrifice. He watches on as realization makes its way onto his mother’s face after seeing the doe eyed male and his younger brother untied then she grins, “Oh dear! They’re even trying to escape. This is going to be fun!”

 

“You foolish people.” Sehun hears his sister mutter from his right but when he looks at her a flicker of worry seems to pass by her eyes, never to be seen again.

 

The sound of his father laughing takes back all of their attention and that’s only when Sehun remembers that each of them has a chosen weapon in hand. Compared to the last few years he had done this, the perfect polish and the sharpness of the axe in Sehun’s hand seem to mock him this time. His grip tightens onto the weapon as his father moves closer towards the trembling figure of the two small males.

 

“We’re going to do this differently tonight.” Mr. Oh begins, voice already sinister and bordering on hysteric, “Since you’re so keen on staying alive we’ll let the both of you run. But your parents remain for us to begin the tradition. You will run and we will hunt you, let’s see how long you last without any help.”

 

As Mr. Oh allows the last of his words to sink into Luhan, Mrs. Oh makes a move and without further ado slices the neck of Luhan’s father. A piercing scream comes out from Luhan’s mother before she starts shouting at them to begin running. The thud that comes from the body of Luhan’s father falling forwards onto the floor takes the doe eyed male out of his stupor and he shakily stands up with Jungwoo all gathered in his arms.

 

Sehun finds his heart beating way too fast as he watches Luhan gain his footing even with the insistent shaking of his legs. The latter stares at Sehun once again as he begins to move towards the only open space in the circle, “Good! Good! Let the hunting begin!” the thunderous voice of Sehun’s father seems to be the last push the tall male needed.

 

And without thinking of anything else, Sehun lunges and drops his weapons at his feet, propelling forward as he takes Luhan’s hand into his. Sehun knows the moment they step out of the mansion, he will be as much of a sacrifice just like the siblings but for the first time in his life he thinks this a risk worth taking and for reasons he has yet to find out.

 

The angry screams of his parents become faint noises in the background as they go farther from his home but Sehun could not focus on anything else except the warm hand in his and the pitiful sobbing of a young, young boy.

 

Their life is in his hands and the purge has truly begun.

 

\-----------

 

“Get in, get in!” Sehun instructs hurriedly as he opens his Range Rover Sentinel, an armored car he specially bought for the purge a few years ago. He rarely uses it, only finding purpose for the vehicle whenever he is unsatisfied and feels like looking for other sacrifices on the night of the purge. Fortunately enough, the keys of their cars are always left in the garage making for easy access so Sehun didn’t need to think twice and led them there.

 

As soon as Luhan and his brother are safe in the passenger seat, Sehun makes a run towards the other side of the vehicle immediately occupying the driver’s seat and inserting his key to start the car’s ignition. Once the range rover had come to life,  the long haired male steps on the pedal and makes a run for it, driving towards the exit and making sure they were a few good miles away from the mansion so his family would not be able to easily catch up to them.

 

He does not know how long he has been driving but when Sehun realizes that the road has now patterned down into the familiar rows and rows of huge trees leading to the city, he knew they were safe, _as of now_ , from his parents. _They –_ the word absolutely was weird and foreign to him specially because his parents taught him to always put himself and his well being ahead of others. But somehow, the night turned out to have other plans for him and now he was left with two strangers while the people who gave birth and fed him was after his fucking head.

 

“Stop sniffling.” Sehun mutters in exasperation, “Haven’t you cried yourself dry earlier?”

 

“I’m so-sorry.” Luhan stutters, meek and scared. “I’m sorry I’ll calm him down. Jungwoo’s just really scared.”

 

A small grunt escapes Sehun’s mouth when he realizes he mistakenly thought the older brother as the one still crying. Slowly the sniffles of the youngest of the three turn into almost nothing but uneven breathes and then an uncomfortable silence takes over the inside of the vehicle.

 

Uncertain about their current situation, Luhan fidgets in his the passenger seat as Jungwoo’s little body curves into him like a little spoon, the younger boy falling asleep instantly after the ordeal they went through. Listening to his younger brother’s even breathing calmed Luhan bit by bit, until he gained enough confidence to speak once again without having to stutter in fear.

 

He turns to look at the man in the driver seat whose gaze is steadily set onto the road ahead of them. A litany of thoughts swirl into Luhan’s head, the silence and the steady thrum of the car’s engine allowing the doe eyed male to finally look at the situation at hand and wonder just how he was able to find himself escaping with a person who was supposed to be his murderer just a few hours ago.  “You have something to say?” The man snaps at Luhan after he notices the smaller male staring at him and the latter couldn’t help but gulp.

 

Luhan notices a few strands of hair escape the stranger’s bun slightly covering his eyes and before realizing what he’s doing, Luhan had already acted upon his urge and tucked the stray hairs against the man’s ears. “Don’t touch me.” The man grits out, finally glancing at Luhan who avoids his eyes. “Don’t expect that just because I pulled you out with me that we’re some sort of buddies or friends. I must be crazy, doing what I just did and now my own family is after me.”

 

“You didn’t have to help us.” Luhan responds softly, “You should have just stayed there.”

 

“Excuse me, what?” the stranger asks in disbelief, turning to look at Luhan as he parks the car at the side of the road. “I’d like to watch and hear you try and say that again after I leave you both here.”

 

“No!” Luhan exclaims, hurriedly latching his free hand onto the man’s arm. “I mean please don’t leave us,” he says much softer this time as he tries his best not to jostle the sleeping form of his younger brother. “I still just can’t believe that you help us. You don’t have to explain why and you could’ve just really watched us getting killed but you step in. And for that, my brother and I will owe you our lives forever.” Luhan rushes out, unable to still look at the taller male in the eye. He also releases the man from his firm grip, afraid that the former might get angrier at him.

 

“I don’t even know the reason why I did what I just did.” Sehun sighs forlornly, knuckles turning white as he grips the steering wheel while he turns his eyes away from Luhan. “I can’t believe I’m risking my life for this. If you didn’t look helpless enough earlier, I never would have helped you.”

 

Luhan curls himself into his brother, “I’m sorry for being a burden. Just help us for this one night and you’ll never have to see us again. I want to make sure my parents’ lives haven’t been sacrifice in vain.”

 

“Your father is the reason why you’re here in the first place.” Sehun chuckle is humorless when he says those words. “He didn’t mean for this to happen though,” Luhan weakly responds while running his fingers through Jungwoo’s soft locks to calm his self down from crying. And in order to stop the other man from saying things that might continue to hurt him, Luhan decides to divert the topic. “Tell me your name at least. I want to match a name with the face of the man who saved us.”

 

“Oh Sehun,” the lean male grumpily answers, starting to drive once again. He knows exactly the kind of danger following them from behind or is waiting for them wherever they are going tonight so he plans to stay as far away as he could from places where there might be plenty of participants for the purge. Going out on the night of the purge with two other cargos was certainly different from being alone, added to that is the fact that rather than purging Sehun was being hunted and was about to be purged after betraying his parents.

 

He listens to the other male in his car run through the syllables of his name, a slight accent noticeable every time the smaller male tries to pronounce the last part of his name –he wasn’t a native of their land. Sehun did his best to focus elsewhere, trying not to notice the tiny details that made up the entirety of the beautiful stranger in his passenger seat. If someone were to say to him that he’d be driving around the night of the purge with a random man and his sibling, acting like a knight saving a damsel in distress Sehun would have laughed into that person’s face and pay no second thoughts. But Sehun had been too entranced and way too curious for his own good, that he allowed a pair of golden eyes to fool him and put him under a spell.

 

Hesitantly, he feels the smaller male stare at him through the rearview mirror, “I’m Luhan and my brother’s name is Jungwoo.” He softly says, looking almost afraid of Sehun’s reaction since the latter had already put on an impassive expression. “I know you won’t care about our own names but I just want you to remember you help saved us if you hear anything similar to our names.”

 

“The only stuff I’ll remember when I hear your names are bad memories.”

 

There is an audible gulp from the man beside him, “It’s obvious you’re not particularly thrilled to be in this situation with us but I’ll take what I can have and be thankful you save even when it seems like you didn’t want to.”

 

“What if I’m taking you away just to kill you?” Sehun challenges irritated at the other male for being so naïve and trusting. “You wouldn’t be able to run away now even if you want to.”

 

“Something tells me you wouldn’t go through all this trouble just to kill us on your own.” even when Luhan’s words scream of defiance, his actions are of the total opposite as he shifts further away from Sehun after wrapping a protective arm over Jungwoo.

 

Sehun feels stomped but amused at the smaller male’s words, heaving a sigh at Luhan’s bravado. It is an absolutely crazy thought to entertain but Sehun’s far too gone in this mess to regret thinking about anything else other than the fact that this was a mistake he would do all over again if it meant that he’d be able see the doe eyed male colored by the hues of life rather than be painted by dull monochromes of death.

 

 _Or so to conclude, Sehun really was way off his fucking head_.

 

Once Luhan was certain his companion would rather blow his steam off in silence and no longer scare him, he allows himself to relax into his seat once again. He almost drifts into sleep, lulled by the comfort and warmth of Jungwoo’s body against his, when he notices that Sehun was driving his car towards the city. It makes for a very comical scene when Luhan turns his head so quickly towards Sehun that he gets a whiplash from his action. “Isn’t it dangerous there?” he asks Sehun, hopefully thinking he was able to mask his panic merely as some sort of curiosity.

 

“I’ve been purging since I was 18 and the city is the safest bet for a route that we could have if we want to reach the safe house I bought a few years ago.” It’s the longest string of words that Sehun has spoken to him that night but Luhan does not find himself the least bothered by the other male’s indifference, after all he is the one still saving them from the fatal end that was chasing them.

 

Contrary to Luhan’s expectations the city was bare of any people as they entered it. Not having enough guts to watch the news broadcast of the purge every year, Luhan is surprised to see that the center of Seoul was more like a ghost town rather than a murder field. His younger brother is yet to wake in his arms, and Luhan takes this opportunity to observe their surroundings as Sehun drives around in ease. It felt as if this was all just a dream, never in a million years did Luhan think he’d find himself in this type of situation –watching empty streets passed by him and eagerly waiting for the purge to be over while in the company of a man whose more and more like a puzzle the longer Luhan thinks about him.

 

Just as they are driving through a crossway, Luhan spots the flash of another car a few miles away from them. He does not want to panic but something starts to go off his head when he realizes the other vehicle is still trailing behind them even after a few minutes. “Put your brother down and go behind the passenger seat. Look at below and you’ll find guns in there, take four together with the small grey bag I think we have company.” Sehun instructs him just as Luhan was about to warn him about the other car. He goes to work immediately after releasing Jungwoo from his hold and pulling the seatbelt to secure the child.

 

It takes him longer than half a minute to locate the guns Sehun was talking about together with the grey bag.  When he finds it, Luhan immediately rises to move back to the front only to be hauled to the side when Sehun sehun swerves the car, “those idiots have a back-up.” The taller male states evidently pissed as he maneuvers his car expertly looking for pathways that would be safe for them to take.

 

Luhan tries to regain his balance, pulling himself up and gathering the guns and bag after being slammed from earlier. “Take Jungwoo in the backseat with you. They’re going to try and shot the front of this car before anything else.” evidently surprised that Sehun remembered his brother’s name, it takes a bit long before Luhan reacts and shakes Jungwoo awake so the young boy could safely move into the back with him. Filled with nerves, Luhan waits for Sehun’s next instructions trying his best not to squirm too much and scare his younger brother more.

 

Sehun increases the speed of his vehicle, making sure they are far ahead from those who have seen them, “Give me two of the guns and keep the two for yourself. Those are already loaded with amo and you just have to shoot. You do know how to use a gun, don’t you?”

 

“My father taught me,” Luhan answers shakily before he turns to Jungwoo whose tiny hand feels cold against the skin of his palm as it reaches over the divider in the backseat. “Jungwoo you have to stick close to gege okay? We’re being chased by bad guys right now so don’t let go of my hand no matter what.” Luhan says to the younger boy whose eyes are set on him, fear and curiosity swirling in his orbs like a storm.

 

The night has yet to come to an end, long and filled with so much with what ifs and lives at stake. Sehun continues driving, the silence tense inside the car as he gets out of another alley and into a four way street. Before any of them could realize what is happening another car comes up to them from the left side of the road and the impact almost sends them swirling if not for Sehun’s quick thinking and highly skilled driving. He steps onto the pedal of the car, shifting gears and pushing towards the speed limit of the vehicle to get as far away as possible from their chasers.

 

Unfortunately for them their chasers are relentless and now there are two vehicles probably filled with five or six people each that are after their group of three. The first shot comes rippling into the air and towards the back of the Range Rover but is effectively muffled by the car’s sturdy interior. Sehun remains unfazed in the driver’s seat while Luhan holds Jungwoo’s hand tighter, restlessly looking behind him as the two cars with armored passengers follow and shoot after them.

 

As their chasers get nearer and nearer, the ride becomes bumpier and Sehun’s grip on the steering wheel tightens while he looks for the fastest escape. However, considering that this is the night of the purge the people after them seemed absolutely prepared and after realizing that the bullets of their guns would not do any real damage onto Sehun’s cars, they started throwing smoke grenades towards the direction of the vehicle therefore clouding up the road and forcing Sehun to rely on his instincts.

 

It takes no time for smoke to cover up the surroundings and Sehun continues to drive straight to prevent from crashing into anything. He tries to drive past the smoke but the amount of grenades thrown and are still being thrown towards them have been too much and tall male finds it hard to see through the billows of smoke that have surrounded them. “Are you alright, what is happening?” there is palpable fear in Luhan’s voice when he speaks, panic yet to seep through but slowly getting visible in the way his eyes move around to stare at the clouds of black and gray that has covered the Range Rover.

 

“Those bastards have a ton of smoke grenades with them and I can’t see a damn thing. Strap yourselves onto the seat and don’t fucking move.” Sehun grits out, still blindly driving his car and hoping that the smoke would clear out sooner rather than later. He slows down his pace to avoid them from crashing but a strong force from behind finally causes the vehicle to lose direction quickly careening forward before its front part slams towards the right side of the road, against the brick walls of an empty building.

 

The accident takes no more than a few minutes to happen and Sehun could feel the soreness in his body from the impact of the vehicle going out of control. His consciousness slips out but after some seconds had passed, Sehun groggily wakes up to his head bleeding against the stirring wheel. Remembering the danger they were in, he immediately sits up to check the back seat, exhaling loudly after realizing that both Luhan and his brother are still there and are just unconscious.

 

Sehun quickly makes a work of gathering the weapons they need before he shakes the brothers awake. He motions for them to remain quiet, knowing quite well the danger that is lurking outside the car especially because by now the people chasing after them surely had caught up to them. The taller male wipes the trickling blood from his head with the cuffs of his dress shirt before retying his hair into a tighter bun then slowly stepping outside to check on the area where they have crashed into. There are no signs of life other than them but Sehun knows better than to be complacent so he knocks onto the door of the backseat, quickly urging Luhan and Jungwoo to get out. However the short time it takes for Sehun to call the other two is enough opportunity for their chasers to finally approach them and overpower the taller male.

 

Receiving a blow on his back, Sehun stumbles into Luhan who is about to go out of the car and has yet to shrug off the blurriness of his vision. The smaller of the two catches Sehun immediately and is only able to gather his wits when he hears the high pitched scream of his younger brother calling for his name. Luhan pulls Sehun up with him, supporting the other male’s weight as their attacker increases in number. Both males force themselves to gain their bearings, Sehun immediately pressing the .44 magnum pistol into Luhan’s waiting hands while he starts shooting with his own Sig-Sauser P226 at the masked individuals with knives and bats in their hands.

 

It was all or nothing and Sehun worked double time with Luhan as adrenaline pumped through their veins, the taller of the two efficiently using his combat skills as he sends a kick and punch towards the captor of Jungwoo while gunning down a few men as well. Quickly, Sehun sweeps Jungwoo off in his arms before signaling at Luhan to get the grey bag from the van before they start running away.

 

“We need to lose them,” Luhan says worriedly as the taunting screams of the group follow them. The remaining group of five maybe four, Luhan isn’t entirely sure, begins firing shots as well as their distance increases. The group of three hears the echo of the bullets plunging towards the open air in time with Jungwoo’s sobs which Sehun tries to calm down. Both Sehun and Luhan look left and right for possible escapes and luckily an empty alley comes into view so the smaller of the two pulls them towards that area. “The ladder’s down, we have to go up or they’ll see us if we stay on the ground.” Sehun nods, securing Jungwoo in his arms before he begins climbing up the fire exit.

 

Luhan follows after him, making sure to produce as little sound as possible but a cruel stroke of luck causes the doe eyed male to feel the beginnings of nausea just as the sounds of footsteps echo within their vicinity. He starts to feel lightheaded and the bag slung on his torso feels suddenly heavier than it actually is but Sehun notices just in time and puts down Jungwoo to grab Luhan’s wrist. Surprised, Luhan does his best to focus once again and he successfully climbs up the ladder with the taller male’s help.

 

“Jungwoo, we’re going to play hide and seek okay?” Luhan starts to say when he notices that his younger brother has yet to quiet down. “If you want to win this gege needs you to behave and be quiet.” Although obviously afraid, the warm and gentle tone of Luhan calms Jungwoo down in seconds and just in time with the appearance of two masked figures below them. Luhan feels Sehun go rigid almost immediately beside him while he slumps beside Jungwoo, squeezing the child against his chest as they all wait for their chasers to pass by them.

 

The loud laughter of the people below rings like a threat in the empty alley, “I can hear you breathing…you can’t run away from us!” one of the two singsongs, effectively making Luhan’s skin crawl as he tightens his grip on the cold, cold flesh of the pistol in his hand. He watches as Sehun eyes both people keenly, waiting for any possible attack that might come upon them in case those two finds out there hiding spots. It takes more than five minutes of nerve-wracking wait before the two individuals grow tired of waiting and move towards another direction.

 

Sehun doesn’t waste time, already pushing up the window near the fire exit they were occupying. He motions for Luhan to get up, assisting him and Jungwoo in silently entering what seems to be an empty apartment. As soon as they all have gotten inside, Sehun shuts the window and pulls out his phone from his pocket. Turning on its flashlight, he stands in front of Luhan to scan the place and once he deems it safe and vacant from possible harm he takes the smaller male’s hand into his before leading the latter and his younger brother towards a room.

 

But as Sehun flickers the light on, the dizziness finally catches up to Luhan and without a single word the world is pulled beneath his feet.

 

\-------------------

“Shh,  he’d be fine.”

 

Luhan’s vision is flooded with brightness compared to the first time he lost consciousness and woke up that night. He slowly feels his eyes adjusting to the light before he registers the fluffiness of the mattress where he is laying on and then the soft voice of the male beside him. He turns to his right, surprised to see Jungwoo seated on Sehun’s lap and tucked against his chest as the latter tries his best to comfort his younger brother.

 

Without meaning to, Luhan stares at the two longer than he intended to, gratefulness swelling in his chest like a huge balloon waiting to pop and release its air out in the open. He knows how difficult it must be for Sehun to be placed in a situation like this specially since the former had every luxury and capability in the world to protect himself from the purge if he only he stayed with his family. But for whatever reason, the other male had chosen to save him and his brother from the arms of death, and Luhan no matter how selfish it might sound to others, is thankful that Sehun is here to go through this ordeal with them.

 

“Gege!” Jungwoo cheers when sees Luhan staring at them. Without warning, the child excitedly plops his body onto Luhan and Sehun watches with a bit of amusement before he speaks in a serious and cold tone. “We can’t stay here for too long. This place will be swarmed later when others get desperate for more kill so we have to move and go to my place.”

 

“Alright I see.” Luhan responds, shakily moving from his position in the bed with Jungwoo still wrapped around his torso. “This place probably has a parking area. Maybe we can take a random car from there so we could travel faster.”

 

“Yeah let’s do that.” Sehun says, already standing up from his place on the bed. Luhan watches him move noticing the dried stains of blood on the man’s forehead and the bruise that is slowly beginning to form with it as he stares at the latter’s face.  There is the inescapable feeling of guilt that lodges itself into his throat and before he could entertain any other thought, Luhan gently grabs Sehun’s wrist before the man could walk farther away.

 

Sehun inquisitively stares at Luhan, an eyebrow raised at the other male’s sudden action. “Sit down for a bit, you have an injury on your head. Let me look for the first aid kit then we can get going.” After leaving Jungwoo with Sehun, Luhan heads into the room’s bathroom to check the cupboards for a first aid kit. The cupboards on top of the bathroom mirror had nothing except bathroom supplies but the drawers below the sink fortunately housed a tiny box of first aid materials. So without further ado, Luhan takes a clean towel soaking it a bit before heading back towards the room where he finds Jungwoo already feeling cozy and blinking sleepily as he lays his head on top of Sehun whose legs are crossed and tucked beneath each other in the middle of the bed.

 

He puts goes on to occupy the vacant side of the bed sitting in the same fashion as Sehun. After getting comfortable, he opens the first aid kit then asking Sehun to turn his face towards him. “You don’t have to do this.” the long haired male says with a huff but his gaze is much more welcoming than it had been earlier that night. “I want to do this. This is nothing compared to what you’ve done for us. We could never repay your kindness enough.” Luhan answers back, grabbing the towel and using it to clean the remaining blots of blood on Sehun’s pale skin.

 

Efficiently, Luhan begins to work at cleaning Sehun’s scrape. “So, you’ve always done this?” Luhan asks, curiously staring at the long haired male in front of him who looks back with just as much of a question on his face. “I mean the purge? You’ve always celebrated it?” he explains and Sehun shrugs his shoulders.

 

“It’s tradition.” Sehun’s answer is clipped and précised, bare from any emotion except the hiss that comes out of his mouth when Luhan dabs a sterilized cotton on his wound.

 

“A tradition huh,” Luhan muses, still gently dabbing the cotton on Sehun’s wound, “what do you get from it? How does it feel like?”

 

Sehun’s first thought was that he should have felt offended at the questions Luhan was asking him. But as he looks at the way the male’s eyes flickered and stared back at him he sees no trace of judgment but rather just genuine curiosity. “It’s good for us.” Sehun starts to speak, making sure his voice remains steady. “The purge was made to cleanse this nation of impurities even those which are within our self. It’s a safe alternative instead of having people kill each other every day. The purge offers a proper release and I’m glad to have done it,” Sehun corrects himself, “I’m glad to still be doing it. The purge saved us.”

 

“The purge killed my parents.” Luhan’s voice is soft but unstable as he responds.  Grey eyes turn to look at him, assessing and inquisitive while he already begins applying medicine on Sehun’s injury, “I’ve lived my whole life fearing the night of the purge. Living in a poor neighborhood we were never just safe enough but we made do and we’ve been surviving for as long as I can remember. But people just get greedier, the more they get desensitized to the idea of it the more they take advantage of it. And for that reason alone I will never see the purge the way you do.”

 

“I wasn’t trying to change your mind or convince you. You were the one who asked.” Sehun fiercely says back, staying still despite feeling pissed at Luhan whose words are strong enough to mark but whose actions remain gentle.

 

Luhan’s shakily smiles at him as he applies the ointment on Sehun’s forehead, “And asked I did. I wanted to know what is it that makes people like you enjoy and do the purge. Although I couldn’t understand it fully, performing the purge must have brought a sense of fulfillment into your lives the same way it did to us who strayed from it.”

 

“It was more than just the sense of fulfillment, purging is a responsibility and duty I have to uphold to my family and country. The purge is a right given to each of us by our government.”

 

“Purging is a right only the powerful could enjoy.” Luhan puts his hand down as he finally places a clean bandage on the taller male’s forehead. “The crimes and deaths of the people today will just be an accumulated statistic of the days that no one was killed or there wasn’t a crime. It is vindictiveness masked as justice and humane reprieved. And among all of these, the one who will suffer most are the people like us, those who are weak and poor and without power.”

 

Sehun tries to ignore the way his chest clenches upon listening to the realness and the harshness of the words spoken by Luhan. The slump of the smaller male’s shoulder after speaking makes Sehun want to reach out to him, to bring comfort even just through the warmth of his hand. This was the exact feeling Sehun had felt earlier before he decided to leave everything else to fate and take Luhan away from their mansion.

 

It was the most impulsive thing he had done his entire life but looking at Luhan right now whose determination to live remains strong despite the vulnerability shrouding him, Sehun believes he made the right decision to save him and his brother. “I’m sorry.” It must have been the atmosphere that prompts Sehun to say it and reach out to pat Luhan’s head but the taller male finds himself satisfied when the former leans in to his touch. “It’s hard to explain why I did what I did and helped you but it must’ve been a good thing,” he says sighing as he moves his hand further and tilts Luhan’s chin so that he could look at him in the eyes and stay loss in the beauty of its hue, “it’s a long way but I’m slowly seeing where you’re coming from.”

 

Sehun by no means is a soft person. Even though not lacking in attention and love, his parents brought him up to be someone whose head rules over his emotions. He spent his living years building an image that allowed people to see him in a kind light but to never challenge him or take him for granted. However, right at this moment, Sehun accepted the fact that he was willing to make an exception for Luhan – that among other things he was ready to slowly let go of what he once knew and accepted to see the place where Luhan was coming from.

 

“Thank you.” Luhan surprised with the other male’s sudden gentleness, responds with a tight smile before he takes the grey bag from Sehun, finally ending their conversation as he places the towel and first aid kit inside to be prepared. “I’m sorry we wasted time but I think we probably should go now.”

 

“Yeah, alright.” shaking Jungwoo a bit to wake him up from his short slumber, Sehun then gets off the bed just as Luhan does. “I’ll lead the way, just be careful and silent as possible when you follow. The guns have also been reloaded so use it if needed. We can’t afford another chase like earlier. Jungwoo please behave as well, alright?” Sehun addresses the youngest of them all and he receives a sleepy nod from the other. “Good boy.” He compliments, letting out a sigh as he ruffles the boy’s hair before finally leading the front with Luhan at the back of the line.

 

When they get out of the bedroom, the whole apartment is still shrouded in darkness for them to avoid getting any unwanted attention. And just like earlier, Sehun uses his phone’s flashlight to lead them out. Once they reach the hallway, the lights are fortunately on and the three of them take short steps to gauge the situation outside. The trip down from the second floor to the parking lot of the building is absolutely tense, gone was the security and calmness the three had experienced in the apartment earlier replaced instead with nerves after being graced with the sight of dead bodies littered across the place.

 

Consistently, the fire alarm in the building was ringing at different intervals despite the the lack of fire. It was a terrible feeling not to know what was it that was about to happen to you but Luhan tried his best not to let his fear faze him considering that the purge had a long way to go before it is over. They take a left turn on one of the hallways when they reach the ground floor but Luhan fails to see the shadow of a man who suddenly grabs him after coming out of an empty room and settles a sharp knife on his neck.

 

The surprised scream from Luhan is enough to get Sehun and Jungwoo’s attention and the smaller of the two tries to run towards his brother but Sehun pulls him back. “Let him go.” Gone was the softness in Sehun’s voice from when he and Luhan had a conversation earlier, his features gaining back its signature sharpness and anger.

 

“Why should I? I’m going to kill this little bitch.” The stubby and bald man holding Luhan hysterically laughs, dragging the gun in his left hand slowly against the side of Luhan’s face while the knife in his right hand digs just a bit deeper onto the doe eyed male’s pale skin. “He’s a pretty boy this one, isn’t he? And I’d be glad to add him on my list of kills for tonight.”

 

“Fuck you!” Luhan murderously says at his captor not allowing his fear to show as he thinks of ways to escape. But the man holding him does not seem to enjoy his act of defiance pulling his hair back and then pressing the tip of the knife on the junction between his neck and jaw – Sehun does not hesitate to raise his gun at the same time.

 

The blonde male presses his finger on the trigger, poised to shoot without another word if the man does anything else remotely harmful enough to Luhan. But before any of them could make another move, a gunshot echoes in the hallway and the doe eyed male’s captor falls onto him faster than he could blink. He quickly side steps him watching in shocked as the man falls onto the floor without another word.

 

“Help us,” a trembling voice makes Luhan twist around immediately, shock emerging on his features as he sees blood splattered all over the shirt of the man who just helped him. The stranger is as tall as Luhan is, the ivory hue of his skin highlighted by the redness of his lips and the blackness of his curled locks. “My boyfriend’s been shot by that man earlier and we’ve been hiding ‘till you came as a distraction for him.”

 

Choosing to follow his gut feel, Luhan signals both Sehun and Jungwoo to follow him. And as they step closer, Luhan notices just how much the hands of the man were shaking as he held the gun. “It’s alright.” says the doe eyed male, gently trying to reach out to the stranger whose cheeks are stained with tears. “We can help. Let’s see where your boyfriend is.”

 

Following Luhan’s words, the stranger shakily leads them to a storage room just a few steps away from where they were and they open the door to a single light flickering on and off in that place. The man silently guides them and Sehun who is still holding onto Jungwoo’s little hands, pulls on Luhan’s hoodie as well. “We don’t know this person, what makes you certain this isn’t a trap?” he whispers stressfully to the smaller male who stops in his step and shakes his head.

 

Sehun’s gaze follows that of Luhan and he realizes they weren’t being fooled when his eyes land on another man’s figure, eyes looking dazed and torn between conscious and unconsciousness. He seems a bit taller and has a sturdier built than the man they first met but as he leaning against a stock of boxes, hands pressed tightly against his bleeding thighs he looks weaker than the other.

 

Sehun sighs, “Do this fast, I’ll stay outside to keep watch.” Luhan starts moving after Sehun leaves Jungwoo with them to stay guard. He removes the hand of the bleeding male from his thighs and then proceeds to press the towel onto the wound.

 

“Shh, Yixing it’s fine. They’re here to help.” the other man who led them to the room tries to calm down the wounded guy who starts shifting after realizing they had other company. Using the scissor from the first aid kit Luhan cuts off the lower part of his hoodie for it to serve as a tourniquet since the stranger probably lose so much blood already. “We’re going to a safe house. Come with us, there’s probably more stuff there to fix his wound.”

 

The stranger with a gun lets out a cry, “Thank you. I’m Junmyeon and this is Yixing. We didn’t have enough time to leave when strangers intruded this building and while they were chasing us Yixing got shot more than two times. There’s probably more of them so I’m really thankful you’re here.”

 

Yixing wheezes a bit when he speaks, “thank you. Will repay you when this is over.” He says and Luhan merely nods his head as he instructs Jungwoo to tell Sehun they’ll be bringing the couple with them.

 

Luhan and Junmyeon carefully helps Yixing onto his feet, hauling him up as gentle as they can before they start following closely after Jungwoo and Sehun as the latter leads them outside and into the garage to search for a suitable car. Sehun goes a bit far from the exit before he settles in front of an inconspicuous looking gray vehicle similar to how a Tesla would look like. With his gun, Sehun shoots the door at the driver’s side before entering the car and opening the passenger’s side so Luhan and Jungwoo could get in after him in the front while Junmyeon and Yixing took the backseat. He then takes the bag from Luhan’s hold and opens it to gather a few materials before he starts to hotwire the car.

 

“We’re good to go, just a little bit more and we’ll be safe.” Sehun assures the two brothers as he pulls out of the parking lot and back into the city. Fortunately, they are already near the border crossing into the town where Sehun’s own place was so no one was able to see them as they finally left the vicinity of Seoul. “It’s another thirty minute drive to my home but that’s the safest place we could go in-” Sehun ends up stepping on the brakes of the car when two figures appear out of nowhere and block their path.

 

The people this time are not wearing masks but both are clearly larger than any of their chasers earlier. They are holding electric saws in their hands, the sinister smile on their faces visible from the way the car’s headlights shine on them as they remain a few feet away. Seeing how they have caught the eyes of another group of individuals purging, Sehun does not hesitate to step on the pedal and run over the two males. The act takes no more than a few seconds to happen and when he hears a muffled thud against the hood of their get-away car in time with Luhan’s gasp, Sehun shifts gears to get away as fast as possible from the scene.

 

“Someone’s after us again.” Luhan protectively holds Jungwoo closer to him as he speaks eyes on the side mirror.

 

“They’re a bunch of riders. We need to get out of here fast.” Junmyeon adds, repositioning Yixing and letting him lay on his lap so the latter wouldn’t get shot just in case the other group begins firing at them.

 

“It’ll be difficult for them to properly aim at us while chasing but if they start shooting then start firing back as well.” Sehun instructs Luhan and Junmyeon as he swerves right and speeds up even more for them to arrive at the safe house quicker. The riders are hot behind their backs but there are no weapons on view yet so Sehun focuses on driving, doing his best to increase the distance between them and those who are after their lives.

 

Rows and rows of houses enter into view as they enter a suburban area, and there’s a tensed silence inside the car as the night is filled with the loud roars of the motorbikes’ driven by the people after them. “There’s nowhere to go!” the other party jeers at them through a speakerphone and Sehun tenses after noticing that they are getting closer and closer despite his speed. Just as he feared, the riders eventually catch up to them and flank both sides of the car, the passengers at the back of the bike holding onto a chainsaw each which they use onto the car as they swerve closer.

 

Junmyeon without second thoughts begin shooting and so does Luhan however the bikers are agile and are able to quickly dodge their shots further rattling the now group of five. “They won’t let us go,” Sehun says restlessly trying to bump into the bikes so they can get away but it works for only a few seconds and the group is hot on their tracks once again. “There are rifles in the grey bag Luhan, take them out and start shooting.” Sehun orders waiting for Luhan and Junmyeon to grab the weapon before shifting gears and pushing the car to its speed limit.

 

This time the riffles do work and they get a longer distance from the riders. But they are barely safe yet and their thoughts are proven when they see a truck coming up behind the remaining riders shooting them all down in just a few seconds. Sehun immediately recognizes the truck and steps on the brake of the car, hastily parking it on the sidewalk. “Get out, get out now!” he frantically states, getting out of the driver’s seat to assist Yixing and Junmyeon. When all of them had left the car, they begin running just in time for the truck to start shooting at their now empty vehicle.

 

Luhan carries Jungwoo’s small figure into his arms before turning towards Sehun, “Where do we go from here?”

 

“We run. My safe house is still some blocks away from this street, we need to hurry so they won't be able to catch up to us."

 

“Who are those anyway? Why are we running away from the truck?” Junmyeon asks, hauling Yixing closer as the man whimpers in pain.

 

Sehun sighs, trying to move them quickly as possible. “My father worked for those guys. They purge for the government and go after a list of people they deem worthy of killing during their purge. I’m probably the one they’re after since I ran away from my parents with Luhan.”

 

The taller male explains as quickly as possible as they continue running away. “Are we going to die gege?” Jungwoo asks in the arms of Luhan as they move, blinking tiredly as he the first rays of light already begin to cast its glow on the dark skies.

 

“No one is going to die. We’re almost there.” Sehun firmly says, leading them without pause and making sure they are going as fast as they can. They move towards the deeper part of the area where more trees are visible and once a small white house comes into view, Sehun tightens his hold on Yixing who has been staggering, to increase their pace while he tells Luhan to quickly move towards it.

 

“Just a bit more,” Sehun murmurs, stepping onto the porch and unlocking the house’s door with a code. They were almost safe – then the door opens and before he could process it a series of gunshots ripple into the air, the bullets hitting Yixing right on his chest. There is a stillness that comes after as Yixing falls onto his knees and Junmyeon watches, breathe pulled out of him the same time he sees the life in his boyfriend’s eyes diminish.

 

“NO! Yixing wake up, please wake up.” Junmyeon’s sob pulls everyone out of their trance and Luhan immediately rushes towards the couple who are both on the floor of Sehun’s front porch, Junmyeon cradling Yixing’s body. Yixing reaches his bloodied hand towards his smaller boyfriend, fingers tracing the tears on his cheek. “Shh..” he chokes out running out of breath already, “love you, myeon.” He says, wheezing out the last few words and breaking Junmyeon’s heart even more as his eyes closed, falling into a deep slumber he would never wake up from.

 

Meanwhile, Sehun looks up from the scene to see who the intruder was and comes face to face with his father. “I know everything about you,” the man says as he steps out of the house and towards Sehun. “I know this place and I knew you would come here. What a foolish move my son, how dare you cross us.” His father punctuates every word, seething as he draws the cold metal of the gun towards Sehun’s chest.

 

Luhan panics, putting Jungwoo down as he sees the fingers of Mr. Oh on the trigger, “Let him go!” he screams, pointing a gun at the old man’s direction as well.

 

“You think you can scare me with that?” Mr. Oh’s eyes are cold and piercing when he looks back at Luhan. “My men have surrounded this place after blowing up that car you used. They’d kill you in a heartbeat if you try to hurt me.”

 

Luhan glares at him, angry tears spilling out of his eyes, “fuck you.”

 

“Oh no you don’t get to say that.” Mr. Oh responds moving his hand to shoot at Luhan instead but Sehun is faster, the taller male quickly grabbing his father’s wrist until they start battling for the gun. Using his strength, Sehun tries to switch the direction of the gun’s barrel towards his father but his father is just as strong if not stronger than him as the older man further tightens his hold on the gun, pressing the cold head onto Sehun’s abdomen. Luhan watches two of the men fight, unable to focus properly since Sehun and his father move relentlessly.

 

Mr. Oh gains the upper hand however, a smirk pulling onto his lips, “You’re an ungrateful sosonThe purge is for killing not saving lives. Blessed be our founding fathers, Korea a nation reborn.” He says just as he pulls the trigger, and then there are two shots echoing into the air after as Junmyeon shoots as well. Luhan watches Sehun and his father fall at almost the same time while Junmyeon let goes of the gun, his eyes void of any emotion other than anger and loss. Just a few seconds after, men dressed in black protective gear and helmets appear but Luhan notices and immediately points his gun at them. However before any of them could release another round of bullets into the air, an alarm blares all over the area signaling the end of the purge and the men retreats.

 

Luhan and Jungwoo rushes to Sehun’s side immediately, “a car we need a car.” Luhan frantically says, pressing the wound on Sehun’s abdomen as blood steadily trickles from it seeping endlessly onto the fabric of is dress shirt.

 

“Back..car. Back.” Sehun coughs, unsteadily muttering the words to Luhan who nods his head in understanding.

 

“Jungwoo you need to listen to gege okay? Press here,” Luhan directs Jungwoo’s small hands on top of Sehun’s wound, the younger boy crying as he moves, “It’ll be alright you’re going to save Sehun hyung okay? It’s going to be fine.”

 

Fueled by adrenaline rush Luhan runs towards the back of the house to find a car parked by a shed. He moves towards it, searching for the key and finally finding it hidden inside a wooden box below the vehicle. Not wanting to waste any more time, Luhan rushes and starts the car engine then begins driving it to the direction of the porch where both Sehun and Yixing lay bleeding. He sees Junmyeon look at the car before the other male gently lays Yixing away to haul Sehun up and move him towards the vehicle.

 

Luhan gets out and runs to assist Junmyeon, making sure Sehun is safely placed at the backseat his head cradled onto Jungwoo’s small lap. “Go,” Junmyeon weakly says, “go on and save him. I’ll say my goodbyes to Yixing.” the doe eyed male allows his tears to finally fall as he stares at Junmyeon, he quickly reaches out to grab his hand before pressing a gentle kiss onto the man’s forehead. “We’ll send the ambulance for you.” Luhan assures Junmyeon before quickly going back to the driver’s seat and taking them on the road instantly.

 

“Sehun just hold on a bit, just a bit more.” Luhan loudly pleads to Sehun, watching in the rearview mirror as Jungwoo’s little fingers run through the tall man’s messy hair. He drives through the area and as if the heaven’s had answered his prayer he ends up finding a hospital not too far away from the safe house. He immediately parks his car in front of the busy building and medics instantly attend to him, carrying Sehun’s body and placing him into a stretcher.

 

Luhan’s voice is shaky as he looks at Sehun’s features turning deathly pale, “you’ll be fine okay? Hang on please.” The doe eyed male’s voice finally breaks when Sehun’s eyes meet his, the way the sun’s light filters the grays of Sehun’s eyes makes Luhan tighten his hold on the taller male’s hand.

 

_Just how great would it be to see those eyes filled with life._

“We’ll be waiting for you.” Luhan whispers once last time to Sehun, caressing his face as they finally wheel him inside the emergency room for surgery. Jungwoo grabs his older brother’s hand as they watch Sehun being taken away and even with the sun high up in the sky, Luhan has yet to properly breathe.

 

\-------------

_We’ll be waiting for you._

Sehun wakes up with a gasp, the worried voice in his head haunting him even as he opens his eyes. Rays of light are filtered by the blinds in his room and Sehun spends a few seconds trying to remember what is it that happened for him to be confined inside a hospital with a number of tubes connected to his body. The warm sensation right by his fingertips sends Sehun’s attention towards his right side and when he sees the face of the man peacefully asleep by his bed side Sehun is reminded of everything.

 

“Hyung you’re up!” a cheerful voice states and Sehun sees Jungwoo get up from the couch letting go of the pen and paper he was probably drawing on  from earlier. He stands beside Luhan, head barely reaching the mattress of Sehun’s hospital bed before he shakes his brother awake. “Gege, gege wake up!” He says and the long haired male chuckles a bit at the energy of the small boy.

 

When Luhan finally starts moving, Sehun could not help but place his attention on the way the smaller male groggily opens his eyes, Sehun captivated as the golden hues littered around Luhan’s brown orbs  is further accentuated by the morning light and then he smiles. “Sehun,” he says, holding the latter’s hand tighter, “Sehun.” he cries in relief.

 

Surprised by the smaller male’s reaction, Sehun rubs his thumb calmly against Luhan’s hand. “Hey I’m okay, I’m alive.” He says to the other with a gentle smile. “Thank you for saving me.”

 

“No, thank you.” Luhan counters with a smile of his own. “You’ve been out for two days and I was worried you’d never wake up but I’m glad you did. Thank you for waking up Sehun, thank you for saving our lives.”

 

“Gege, I want to see hyung too!” Jungwoo whines before Sehun could respond. Luhan humors the younger boy releasing Sehun’s hand as he helps his brother climb up and occupy the space on his lap. Sehun watches the siblings interact and once they are finally comfortable, both boys grin towards him and Sehun’s heart is filled with warmth.

 

Here is the beginning of a new chapter.


End file.
